My allotment plan for 2015

[hamesy]

I want to fallow no dig gardening, as all my child hood I have seen Mom never done digging or beds, but just used dibber or hand fork only when she wanted to sow seeds. still I have to get rid of couch grass, prefer to mulch.

Bit of advice here, dig the grass out. Couch grass will find its way through any mulch you put down.

Apart from that the only issue I can see you having is the lack of paths. Best of luck.

[muddled]

Yeah... I have couch grass.... it's meeeean!
Blimmin stuff travels miles under mulches.

The only thing I've found it doesn't grow through is thick black plastic. It pushes through the woven stuff and then it's the devil's own job to pull it up. I added manure, put plastic over the top and planted through that (last year was my first on this plot). That killed most of the couch but not the bindweed...although it really weakened it and I harvest good crops of courgettes, beans, sweetpeas and pumpkins. Now, having dug the last roots out, it's ready for no-dig.

[spamvindaloo]

Like you, I will be shortly commencing my first growing season on an allotment.

The approach I have taken is to prioritise what I want, in my case it was fruit and my top priority was to get Apple trees in. I suppose a lot of people on here would reccomend against this as it will be a few years before I see results and so would probably recommend something you will get results from in the first year. My second priority was soft fruit and so I have strawberries, raspberries (summer and autumn), blackberries and blueberries in tubs. The plan is to build a fruit cage with proper beds but they may stay in tubs this year, if not then that is a bonus.

Anything else (I have a big list of fruit and veg that I would like to grow) is likewise a bonus. I have a detailed and very ambitious plan like yourself but I dont expect to achieve it all in one year. I am also restricted by work and other than calling in to water my plants in the summer on my way home for work, I am probably looking at one day a week.

So my recommendation would be to set yourself a relatively simple goal that you know you can achieve in year one and then that way you will be overjoyed with anything extra you can achieve rather than be disappointed if you don't reach your goals.

[Scarlet]

Like you, I will be shortly commencing my first growing season on an allotment

C'mon where's your photos? We are a nosey lot on here and love the before and after photos. Go on and start yourself a thread

I probably grow more fruit than veg. I love to make jams and chutneys. When the kids were little they ate tons of jams and apple pies. The mainstay part of my growing area is laid out for fruit.

[Elfeda]

spamvindaloo

wow complete fruity, soft fruits I need to clear the ground ,so it is not in priority list though I tempted lot many time after tasting raspberries from my lottie neighbour. I have apple, plum and fig trees in the site . all look small though.

Perhaps will keep watching your space to learn abot growing fruits.

[Elfeda]

Bit of advice here, dig the grass out. Couch grass will find its way through any mulch you put down.

Apart from that the only issue I can see you having is the lack of paths. Best of luck.

I try hoe/sickle off as much possible, hope I do not spread the roots by this

[Penellype]

If I had an allotment I would grow mainly fruit, which I don't have room for at home. I'd love apples, pears, damsons, plums, raspberries, blackcurrants and to try things like apricots and kiwi fruit. I think one of the reasons I have so many strawberry plants is that they are one of the few fruit I have room for.

Maybe one day...

[Scarlet]

I try hoe/sickle off as much possible, hope I do not spread the roots by this

You won't spread the roots but you will never be without it if you don't dig it out. During the growing seasons weeds have a habit of growing twice as fast as your veg. Their roots are firmly in the ground and they romp away. Once the ground is prepared you can start a no dig method, slow down the weeds by mulches and use the hoe when necessary.